Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Andy's gully and Vulture Restaurant (Thursday 20 December 2018)

We decided to go to the Western Heights for this outing - it was a long time since our group walked on this beautiful but hard to get to, part of the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve.

As we drove through a fire-ravaged gum plantation on our way to the reserve gate, we encountered a flowering creeper draped over a dead Eucalyptus tree. This turned out to be Dioscorea quartiniana, looking splendid in its Christmas garb.

Dioscorea quartiniana

Once we had entered the reserve and parked, we headed down towards what we call "Andy's Gully", named after a visitor we enticed down there to look at some orchids who nearly froze on the steep slopes. On the way we saw Crassula vaginata and Eucomis autumnalis. Almost hidden in the grass were a few of the delicate Oldenlandia rosulata.

Crassula vaginata

Oldenlandia rosulata

We worked our way across the slope to a rock outcrop where we found Utricularia sandersonii flowering on the wet vertical rock faces.

Utricularia sandersonii

Studying the rock faces for Utricularia sandersonii

Another orchid-rich rock outcrop

We continued on down the slope and on another rock outcrop we found clusters of Tridactyle bicaudata in flower with a Searsia acocksii flower spike protruding through one of these clusters. Another creeper here - the infamous "leg ripper" Smilax anceps - was also flowering and in the adjacent grassland we found Senecio erubescens var incisus.

Tucked in under the edge of the outcrop was Rangearis muscicola with its extra-long-spurred white flowers. A little lower down on this shady slope of the rock outcrop there were Streptocarpus haygarthii and Stenoglottis macloughlinii in flower.

Rangaeris muscicola

Searsia acocksii

Senecio erubescens var. incisus

Smilax anceps

Stenoglottis macloughlinii

After a quick glance into the steep part of Andy's Gully, we could see that there were interesting flowers on the cliffs so we scrambled our way in to be rewarded with excellent views of Streptocarpus formosus (Rare) and S. porphyrostachys (Near Threatened) growing on these damp, shady rock faces. We were surprised to find the Rare Chironia albiflora above a bank of Hypoxis membranacea.

Streptocarpus formosus

Streptocarpus porphyrostachus

Chironia albiflora

Hypoxis membranacea

Re-emerging from the forest we skirted along the margin at the edge of the grassland. Here we found Canthium vanwykii in fruit and a large entanglement of Combretum edwardsii showing off its skeins of winged seeds.

Canthium vanwykii fruits

Combretum edwardsii

After scrambling some distance up this slope we cane to a convenient cave where we stopped for lunch out of the cool wind. Continuing up the slope we found Tinnea galpinii starting to flower. There were also some low shrubby Zornia linearis with their yellow flowers.

Tinnea galpinii

Zornia linearis

Up at the top of this hillside we came across several flat rock plates, where there were plenty of Craterostigma sp. nov., some of which were in flower. Also using this habitat were several Lampranthus fugitans with bright magenta flowers. On the way back to the cars we found a Habenaria dives bud in the middle of the road and Syncolostemon parviflora at the roadside.

Craterostigma sp. nov.

Habenaria dives

Syncolostemon parviflora

As it was still relatively early, we drove across the grassland to the defunct Vulture Restaurant area and explored along the cliffs. After walking through the grass where we found several Polygala hottentotta, a colony of pink-flowered Watsonia densiflora caught our attention.

Polygala hottentotta

Watsonia densiflora

Poking its flower cluster over the edge of the cliffs was Schrebera alata and under Olea capensis subsp. enervis there was a Pavetta bowkeri with a single cluster of flowers. We were surprised to find several Pachycarpus coronarius in flower - we have not previously seen this species other than at Smedmore.